Urwerk’s UR-102 “reloaded” auctioned for Swiss Institute
On December 10, 2022, in support of the emerging art scene, Urwerk dedicated a one-of-a-kind creation – the #1 of the UR-102 “reloaded” – to the Swiss Institute of New York, which was sold by Phillips in their New York Watch Auction. Estimated at $40,000 – 80,000, it sold for a whopping $403,200
This unique timepiece stems from their very first collaboration, the UR-102 – definitely one of the models that triggers the most nostalgia and cravings among Urwerk collectors. It was a watch reserved for the brand’s first circle, their friends, their family members. Those who were the first ones to believe in the brand, so it is a highly emotional piece for the marque.
The motivation behind this project is clear. Martin Frei, chief designer and co-founder of URWERK, explains how after graduating from the University of Arts and Applied Sciences in Lucerne, he started his creative journey in New York. With a few friends, he created the U.S.A. association (United Swiss Artists), an anchor point far from home, a point of support in difficult times. He finds the same philosophy in the approach of the Swiss Institute. Urwerk’s involvement in this project was therefore self-evident.
The #1 UR-102 “reloaded” was auctioned under the auspices of Phillips. This single-piece edition stems from a collaboration with Cooper Jacoby, an American contemporary artist who reinterprets one of the most emblematic and decisive Urwerk creations: the UR-102 in its new “reloaded” version. Jacoby is an up-and-coming artist who draws attention to the functionality of the systems governing our lives. Using innovative treatments of materials such as nickel, copper, rubber and silicon, the artist creates electrifying sculptures, transforming what is often left invisible into striking and vibrant perceptions.
In this instance, Jacoby revisits the notion of graduation. This first UR-102 “reloaded” displays a wandering hour that counts down time in both analog and digital formats. On the dial of this one-of-a-kind watch, Jacoby uses thermochromic pigments to embody one of the body’s most essential regulatory systems: temperature. The dial of this UR-102 is thus transformed through a range of infinitely variable colour tones, interacting with, and changing, in response to thermal variations. A “reloaded” UR-102 immersed in a state of regular flux.
Engaged in a process of perpetual renewal, the Jacoby and Urwerk creation marries the systemic precision of chronometry with the harmony of human biology.
